Washing machine appliances generally include a cabinet which supports a tub for containing wash fluid, e.g., water and detergent, bleach and/or other wash additives. A basket is mounted within the tub and defines a wash chamber for receipt of a load of articles for washing. During operation of such washing machine appliances, wash fluid is directed into the tub and onto articles within the wash chamber of the basket. The basket or an agitation element can rotate at various speeds to agitate articles within the wash chamber in the wash fluid, to wring wash fluid from articles within the wash chamber, etc.
The wash fluid utilized in a washing machine appliance typically includes water and a detergent, and can further include various additives such as bleach. The additives are generally added to enhance the cleaning or other properties of the wash fluid. Typically an additive is added to an additive dispenser of the washing machine appliance, and then flowed from the additive dispenser to mix with the wash fluid.
In some washing machine appliances, the additives can be initially added to the additive dispenser before starting operation of the washing machine appliance. In these cases, the additive dispenser can hold the additives until a desired time during the wash cycle during which the additive is to be added to the wash fluid. The dispenser can then automatically release the additive at the desired time to mix with the wash fluid.
In other washing machine appliances, however, additives added to the additive dispenser are immediately flowed through the dispenser to the tub. Accordingly, for additives such as bleach which are desirably not added to the wash fluid until a portion of the wash cycle has been performed, a user of the washing machine appliance is required to know when during the cycle to add the additive to the dispenser and to remember to do so.
Accordingly, improved washing machine appliances are desired in the art. In particular, washing machine appliances with improved functionality for controlling additive deposition, in particular in washing machine appliances in which additives are directly flowed through the dispenser to the tub, would be advantageous.